The Interesting Thieving Incident
by Lemon Berry
Summary: After the Embryo incident, Easter has a new plan to steal the Humpty Lock from Amu. She lives a difficult life now, dealing with Easter people everyday. However, after Easter takes her away from her house, they're disappointed to find the lock not left at her house. Now, Amu has to find somewhere to stay. And where would that possibly be? ;) Amuto! The rating could change. R&R! :)
1. Chapter 1

**Hi! So here's my Shugo Chara fanfiction, the first chapter's a bit short, I ****_might _****make the rest longer. I'm open to any suggestions, so...enjoy and review! :D**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Shugo Chara~**

**Chapter 1 :)**

Amu's POV

I closed my eyes tightly and hid under my blanket_. Another fearful night…_ This had been going on for almost a month now. I haven't gotten a good night's rest for sooooooooooo long! It could always be an option to hide at my friend's place but I really don't want to drag them into my problems. In fact, they don't even know they're being watched by "them".

Oh hi...! I haven't seen you before! You probably don't know about my situation so let me tell you. I have the Humpty Lock, and that's a powerful item right? Well, Easter has been trying to get it. They've stopped with all the Embryo business and now they're working on getting some great amount of power to rule the world or something, who knows, aren't evil people always after things like that? Ikuto's on their side so if they manage to get my Lock, the Key and Lock would be together and there's their door to world domination (I'm pretty sure it's different from Tadase's world domination thoughts...). I'm not sure if the Lock would work without me there but Easter doesn't seem to care. Anyways, those Easter baddies have been following me and attacking me whenever I was in a place with few people. I've managed to defeat them or escape but I can't keep this up everyday for like 3 times! My parents and friends are getting worried because I've been so tired (sometimes I even think I look creepy) and I've been getting many cuts and bruises. I'm running out of excuses these days... Anyways, the public attacks have decreased; instead they've been sneaking into my room and doing "stuff" at night. First of all, I have NO idea how they get in. They could get in while the house is empty or find some way to climb into a locked window at night. Who KNOWS?! But they often steal my stuff or tape my guardian character's eggs shut tight. They never did anything really awful but I found some notes lying around threatening to hurt my family or friends if I call the police or something... Desperate times...

***MORNING!***

I woke up before my alarm rang, that was so unusual for me before "this" started happening. During the time between then and when my alarm clock starts ringing, I'd look for a new note and/or anything stolen. Sometimes, I wonder why they don't just simply steal the Humpty Lock now. I mean, I can't stay awake the whole night for lookout, and it's not like they make loud noises while they're here so I'd wake up (in fact, I never hear anything). Maybe they're just torturing me so I'd just have to give in and hand them the Humpty Lock.

***Now passes the hard-to-not-fall-asleep time of the day: School***

I'm glad my friends are all fine; the Easter baddies haven't done anything to them..._yet. _But as for me, I've come close to fainting from tiredness at least once each period. I can barely run during fitness and I can barely even keep my head up to history class (well, same goes to the other classes)

I opened the door and went upstairs to my room. This time, I found two big muscle-man types Easter people in my room. My room was pitch black and freezing; they had opened the window to let in the freezing, snowy, winter air. I was about to gasp and scream when they knocked me on the back so hard I could feel them knock the air out of me. I lost my consciousness after that. I was slightly aware of me being put into a car or helicopter or something, then being taken some distance away. I'm pretty sure it isn't that far away but I couldn't be sure, considering the state I was in. But all I knew was that I was going to have a hard time from now on, and the Easter people are probably never going to give up.

I opened my eyes a crack to slightly see what was going on outside. I felt chilled head to toes. I noticed that I was on a bench…somewhere…it was snowing and I'm pretty sure another minute out here and I'd probably die. _I may die here, but maybe it's better than to keep living on with this current situation going on… _I shut my eyes but before I drifted to unconsciousness yet again, something happened, that I would never believe would happen…

**Dun dun dun, what happened!? :O**


	2. Chapter 2

**So here's Chapter 2! This story isn't doing so good...not many viewers...but anyways here's Chapter 2! R&R! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Shugo Chara**

**Chapter 2**

Amu's POV:

I opened my eyes and squinted at the bright light shining in. Wait, _shining in? _Oh, I remember. I was knocked out by the Easter guy and taken to some bench nearby. I would have died in the cold if…Wait, how am I not dead…? Oh yeah _that guy _took me somewhere. I opened my eyes fully this time. _Where is this? _"Finally up, eh?" Don't tell me…I looked at the guy that saved me, "Ikuto…wait…don't tell me, this is…"

"Yeah, you were sleeping like a bunny at my place."

I gulped. "Well, uh, thanks for saving me. I'll be going now."

"To where? Your place is a total disaster and your parents are pretty upset since they thought you ran away."

"What…?"

"Easter messed up your room searching for the lock."

"The lock…"

I reached into my pocket. _Thank god I kept it in my pocket._

"According to your parents you had a fit and ran away."

~Silence~

I registered that in. They thought I had a fit and ran away? _That could make sense… _They knew I was probably hiding something, and ever since Ikuto stayed in my room, they've been really strict about keeping secrets. Now that I think of it, they seemed to notice that I was lacking sleep. A LOT.

I got up wobbly, "Well, I'm not staying here with you. Besides, you're the enemy, who knows if you might do a sneaky trick and steal it."

He suddenly appeared in front of me and stared in my eyes, "Do you think I would really do something like that?"

I stared back for a while then turned away and crossed my arms, "W-w-well, I guess not. But I can stay at a friend's place."

Ikuto looked at Yoru and shared a look, "Amu…your friends are…upset too…They said they feel betrayed that you kept the secret from them, since you Guardians' jobs are to purify X eggs and stuff which is the opposite of what Easter is doing so if Easter was doing anything bad to you, you should tell them…"

I felt my eyes start to water. "What about Utau?"

Utau has been my best and most trustful friend ever since she left Easter. I could always count on her… **(A/N: In this story, Utau doesn't go crazy over Ikuto and is the same age as Amu. Also, Ikuto is the same age as Amu too, so everyone's around…13-14 or so.) **

Ikuto gave me a smirk, "Oh my little sister understands. She tried convincing them that Easter probably gave you some threat. Right?"

I nodded. And I felt a tear start falling down my cheek, _Pretty much everyone hates me now…_ I wanted to just do nothing but cry right now, but I wouldn't do that in front of Ikuto.

He shifted uncomfortably, not sure what to do when a girl is about to cry,

"Anyways, if you have no where to go. You're welcome here." He smirked again. "Plus, most of your luggage is here too."

I wiped my tears I stared. "Thanks." I mumbled.

Ikuto smiled, "Well I have to get to school now. You can eat whatever you want from the refrigerator."

With that, he shut the door and left. _School… _I totally forgot, even though my life just had a huge incident in it, everyone else was probably still living normally. Then, it hit her. Rumors. The Guardians could spread news to everyone in one sec; the Guardians were admired by everyone so the Guardian's enemies were like their enemies. And I bet-my phone vibrated. I looked at the new text.

'Amu-chan,

I couldn't believe what you have done. Therefore, you are no longer a Guadian.

Hotori Tadase'

I stared in disbelief. The crush that I admired but told me off and I was no longer a Guardian. Well I guess that was expected. But now everyone would know what happened. I would no longer be the "Cool and Spicy Hinamori". I'd go down to…around the 'slaves' class. Yep. I'm doomed. So doomed.

I walked around looking for where Ikuto put my luggage. "Ah! There!" I walked towards the kitchen and looked around my stuff. _Something really important is missing…but what…? _I tried to remember. But didn't. So I walked to the refrigerator and looked for some food. There's was seriously nothing except for a few eggs, a pack of dried sardines, and a can of tuna. I looked at the paper on the refrigerator, "Grocery Shopping: Wednesday." I wanted to laugh, who knew Ikuto did grocery shopping.

After I while, it hit me. I remembered what was forgotten.I gulped. My school supplies. I took a deep breath. I seriously didn't want to go back home after what Ikuto told me. I don't care if he can take me using his cat trail. But I can't go to school unless I have that stuff… I sighed. When Ikuto gets back, he's going to have to take me to my house…or…where I use to live… Double sigh…

**Not much Amuto here but...I'll try to add some more later on. And I'm probably not going to mention the Guardian Characters much. Please review, follow or favorite if you're enjoying this story! It lets me know people are enjoying it... Thanks!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello again! Well, I hope you're enjoying this story so far. You can PM or review any of your ideas to me! And here's Chapter 3! Enjoy! :D**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Shugo Chara!~ **

**Chapter 3**

Ikuto's POV:  
I unlocked the door and walked into my apartment. I saw Amu asleep on the couch. The spot near her eyes were wet, like she cried herself to sleep. I frowned, today at school, it seemed like everyone were saying bad things about her. I was wondering if I should wake her up, she probably wanted to go back to her house and grab a few other things I forgot. I didn't have to come up with a solution because she woke up herself. She rubbed her eyes and stretched.  
"Good morning..."  
I smirked "It's 4:30."  
She widened her eyes, "Hey Ikuto, can you bring me to my house? You forgot my school supplies."  
I snapped my fingers, "Ah-ha! That's what I forgot!"  
Amu narrowed her eyes, "Well we should go before my parents get home."  
"Okay, we'll get out of the window in my room."  
Amu didn't look too shocked, like she was use to it. We walked to the window and jumped out. I wanted to roll on the floor and laugh at how funny Amu looked, on the verge of screaming every time she almost fell. "Want me to carry you?" I mocked; she just gave me a death glare and regained her balance. After than was just a bunch of tightrope-like walking, climbing, jumping, and before we knew it, we were there! But Amu looked like she just ran a mile.

Amu's POV:

I got into climbed into my room's window and caught my breath.  
Ikuto smirked...again, "Still didn't lock your window?"  
"Argh! Shut up!"  
"You shouldn't yell! ~ or whoever is in the house my find us."  
I gritted my teeth and went to my table. I got my bag and all my books, and then looked around for anything else. That's when the worst thing-well, I've been through much worse- happened, and my mom came in. I gasped and backed away, "Mom..."  
"What are you doing here?!" my mom yelled.  
"Please! I didn't run away!"  
"Oh really? Then what did you do?"  
"I didn't do anything! I was taken by Easter!"  
"Easter? Why would Easter do anything!?"  
"They wanted to steal a special item I had!"  
"But you want to know what it looks like? You snuck away to go with Ikuto-kun there."  
I totally forgot Ikuto was behind me.  
"You'd really betray your family to go with a boy you like?"  
I shook my head, "He just-"  
"Then come back. Stay here."  
"Fine! I will, I'll-"  
Ikuto talked up from behind, "Mrs. Hinamori, if I may say, your daughter did run away and ha no where to go, so I found her and took her in."  
My mom looked about to explode.  
"Mom! It isn't like that!"  
My mom slapped me, it didn't hurt. Wait, I didn't feel anything. I noticed Ikuto stepped in front of me and…blocked…. My mom looked shocked that she'd hit Ikuto instead. She looked away and wasn't sure if she should keep going or what.

"Ikuto…" I murmured. I'm not sure I should keep arguing but I had to let my mom know the truth! I was about to keep going when Ikuto grabbed my stuff, and pulled me out of the house. He carried me this time and I kept quiet. When we got back, Ikuto let me down, and put my stuff with my other luggage. I sat down on the couch.  
"I'm sorry…" I whispered.

He shrugged, "Didn't hurt anyways."

I felt so guilty; I couldn't believe I still thought of arguing with my mom after that. The mark on his face was still reddish.

"I'm sorry…" I said again, "But…why? I had to explain to my mom…"  
Ikuto looked at me in the eyes, "You know if you go back, Easter will keep bothering you. And also, don't you think it would be best to keep all this Easter and heart egg business away from your mom? Have you ever thought of telling her before?"  
The truth is, no, never. Ikuto kept going without waiting for my reply.

"If you stay here, they would have no idea where you are."  
"They can follow me from school."  
"I can lend you a jacket when you walk home."  
I had nothing to counter with. He gave me a kind smile, not a smirk.  
"I need to go grocery shopping, I'll be back soon."  
I decided that Ikuto had a point, living here would be safer, but I didn't want to be a bother to Ikuto because…well, if Easter ever found out the person that they wanted the Humpty Lock from was staying at one of their own minion's apartment? But…then again, I betcha he wants me to stay here.  
"Ikuto, wait."  
He stopped at the door.  
I blushed and asked, "Where am I going to sleep?"  
"Anywhere."  
And then he left... Wow.

I walked into his room; it was a small bed which, I guess relieved me. Since then we wouldn't have to...sleep...together... I went to my luggage and pulled a photo out of my school bag. It made me misty eyed, the pictured showed the first set of Guardians when I joined. A picture of me, Tadase, Nadeshiko, Yaya, and Kukai. We looked so happy... I wondered if all of them disliked me now, or if Tadase just gave them no other choice. Once in a while, I did think about a while back, when my mind was confused whether to like Tadase or Ikuto. They both confessed but Tadase seemed more fit for me, at that moment. Now, I've seen how the guy that said he would tell me he loved me everyday would misunderstand something so simple. But now, I wasn't afraid of him saying, "I hate you, Amu-chan" to me everyday anymore (if he was going to), I'm not sure why though… I put the picture away and sat back onto the couch. I sighed. I wonder how living at Ikuto's will be… (gulp)

**Hm...Well, hope you guys liked that Chapter, I'll try to update ASAP! R&R!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello! Agh, I need more viewers for this story. Please review, favorite, or follow if you're reading this! Thanks so much! Enjoy! Feel free to give me any ideas or suggestions!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own SC**

**Chapter 4**

Ikuto's POV:

I knocked on the door to her room, no _my room. _I decided to be a gentlemen and let her sleep on the bed…for now. At least until she gets use to stuff. I knocked again, no answer. I turned the knob slowly and peeked inside. I mentally facepalmed, she was still in bed.

"Amu! 15 minutes till school starts!"

…No reaction. I grabbed her pillow from under her and her head hit the bed. Success.

"Hey, Ikuto…what was that for…"

I finally got a good look at her, she looked awful. It made me feel guilty to interrupt her peaceful rest, considering it was probably the first one she had in a really long time. But! She decided to go to school today, so…

"Well…okay then, I'll just go eat breakfast and go to school leaving you here sleeping. Later!"

She looked at the clock; I decided to walk out of the room before she started screaming and yelling and whatnot. And yep, great decision.

I went to the kitchen and got some cereal…eh, easy breakfast, I'm not a fan of cooking. I could hear Amu running around the house, her steps as heavy as an elephants, she raced to the bathroom, back to her room, back to the bathroom, to her room, and out.

"Well aren't you in a rush."

She glared at me, "Well aren't you taking your sweet time."

"Well unlike some people, I wake up earlier."

She growled, yeah _growled,_ so I decided to stop. I pointed to the milk and cereal, she nodded and she sat down to eat. Silence…

Amu looked at me when we were about to leave the house, "Um…could I borrow your jacket or something?"

"Oh yeah! I forgot. Hold on a sec."

I ran into my room and looked for a pullover sweatshirt. I randomly took one and dashed out, throwing it to Amu. She put it on, popped on the hood and we were off.

Amu's POV:

I felt the sweatshirt one more time; it was a black sports sweatshirt with some dark blue areas. It was really soft and warm… Actually, Easter wasn't the whole reason I wanted to hide myself with the sweatshirt. It was also because I didn't want to be seen and get tons of death glares from girls since I was walking to school with the school's most popular boy, a.k.a. Ikuto.

Ikuto looked at me, "Hey so,"

"Don't talk to me. I'm…er…undercover…"

Ikuto snickered.

I could tell people were looking my way; I am so glad I thought of the sweatshirt.

I walked into the school building and guess who were the first people we ran into? With my luck, it was obviously the Guardians. I looked to them, wanting to talk about this whole thing, but Tadase glared at me and walked on. I'm not sure if it was me or if it really happened, but I thought I saw Nagihiko and Rima giving me apologetic looks… But…the other students were giving me…really dirty looks… Saying stuff like, "Who is that girl? She must have done something awful for Tadase-sama to hate her."; "Who is she, walking with Ikuto-kun?"

When we reached my locker I said, "I'll go to the bathroom and take the sweatshirt off."

"Okay, but you can keep it."

"No it's okay."

"Well, you're gonna have to wear it again after school right?"

"Yeah, well…"

"Later."

Agh! I can never win an argument with him! I stomped into the bathroom stall and took it off, putting it in my backpack so no one would find out about my identity. I walked out and…

"Hinamori-san!"

Wow, I'm _so_ happy to see Saaya right now! Uh, no. I tried to walk ignore her and walk away but her…minions formed a wall to keep me from getting to my locker. I rolled my eyes and turned to Saaya.

"What."

"Well, since you've been _fired, _I believe it would be time for me to step into your position."

_And catch X-eggs? Ha, have fun._

"Okay, well have fun."

I pushed past the wall and went to open my locker.

"Hinamori-san!"

…I snapped.

"What do you want!?"

"I hope you do know that your ranking has gone way down, so you shouldn't talk to a high-class girl like me in that manner."

"Like I care!"

At this point, people were circling around us. After all, Saaya's _always _been trying to beat me on the popularity list. Since elementary. Basically, several _YEARS. _

Saaya glared at me and stepped forward.

I stayed where I was.

She took another step until our noses were almost touching.

"Well!"

I'm pretty sure she tried to throw a punch then but…uh…it's hard to call it a punch. I grabbed onto her wrist and pulled it down.

"I'd really enjoy some peace, you know? You're more popular than me now so why not go find your next person to _annoy?_"

"Woah, woah what's going on here?"

I turned to see where the voice came from. Ikuto stepped into our little circle and glanced from me, to Saaya, then back again.

"Hey, Amu."

Saaya stepped between us, "Don't talk to my Ikuto-kun!"

Ikuto rolled his eyes, "Saaya, leave me alone, I can talk to who I want to."

The bell rang.

_Thank goodness. _"Well! Arguing time is over! You should go to class now, Saaya. Buh-bye."

I walked away, trying to ignore the feeling of everyone staring at me. When I was a good distance away from them, the storage room opened and a tiny hand dragged me into the room. I screamed in surprise but the person but their hand over my mouth. I felt the walls for a light switch, when I found it, I turned the light on, removed the hand. And gasped.

_Why is she here?!_

**I know, this idea is so unoriginal, but it felt needed. Anyways...er...dun dun dun...who pulled Amu in!? Eh.**


	5. Chapter 5

**HI! School started a few days ago so I'll update less now. But I'll try to stick with once a week or so. So...um...most of the reviews I'm getting are from guests so I'm not sure exactly how to reply to you guys, it's really easy to make an account, so yeah. Thanks for reviewing!**

**And to: xAmuxIkutox : Whoops, I forgot to mention Utau. I mentioned her here though!**

**Okay now! R&R! Enjoy!**

**Chapter 5**

_Recap:_

_I walked away, trying to ignore the feeling of everyone staring at me. When I was a good distance away from them, the storage room opened and a tiny hand dragged me into the room. I screamed in surprise but the person but their hand over my mouth. I felt the walls for a light switch, when I found it, I turned the light on, removed the hand. And gasped. _

Why is she here?!

_~End of Recap~_

**Amu's POV:**

"Rima!?"

I took a deep breath. Okay. Let me think. I had an argument with Saaya, I was pulled into the storage room. And now I'm skipping class with…my ex-best friend, I guess?

"Rima…"

Rima was silent the whole time. She just hugged me and sobbed, which would probably leave my shirt wet but whatever.

Rima backed away from me and took a deep breath, "I'm sorry."

"What?"

"I'm sorry."

"I heard you, but what are you sorry about…?"

"For abandoning you…but please forgive me! Tadase wouldn't let us have anymore contact with you! None of the other Guardians wanted you kicked out, but Tadase's the leader so we have to obey. I was elected to come talk to you, but Nagi and Yaya wanted to come too."

I smiled at that. But one question was still on my mind. "Why would Tadase want to get rid of me…? He should know I didn't mean to keep it a secret on purpose…he…said he…loved me…"

Rima shook her head, "I don't know, but we think it was because of how much attention you were getting. 'Cause everyone was all over him before you came, as so Yaya says. But no one knew how strong your power was when they invited you. So it was like the main character role was taken from him and given to you instead."

My jaw dropped to the ground, "Then why did he…"

Rima shrugged, "Tadase's weird, who knows why he dated you."

For some reason, Ikuto appeared in my mind…

I tried to change the subject, "Won't you get in trouble if you're found with me?"

"Yeah, that's why we have to skip class."

"Oh…"

"Where are you staying?"

"Ikuto's."

"Okay. Wait, WHAT!?"

"What."

"You know if Tadase finds out, he'd wanna…" she shivered, "And Saaya and Ikuto's other fangirls…"

"Yeah. Had some problems with that earlier."

"Wanna stay at my place?"

"Nah, don't wanna bother. Plus, I think Ikuto wants me to stay with him."

Rima smirked, "Or do _you _want to stay with him?"

I blushed, but smiled on the inside. The old Rima was back.

The bell rang.

I hugged Rima one more time, "We should go to class now. Text me?"

"I'll try."

"'kay, talk to ya later."

**Ikuto's POV:**

I sat in class, twirling my pencil around while the teacher continued on blabbering about…stuff. Amu wasn't in class. Neither was Rima. They were probably together. I was worried though, but I trusted that little blonde. I doubt that she would do anything to Amu, besides; the teacher nearly threw a table across the class when those two didn't show up to class. Especially Amu, I guess she's failing at school work or something.

_~Lunch Time~_

**Amu's POV:**

I went up to the rooftop. I mean, it's not like I have anyone to sit with now. Plus, the rooftop is empty, so I'll be bullied less. I sat down under the tree and opened a bag of chips. I didn't have an appetite. I just kept popping them into my mouth continuously, _Crunch! _Until a familiar voice said,

"Can I have one?"

I looked up. Oh who knew!? It was Ikuto!

"No."

"But you'll get fat eating them all by yourself, Amu~"

"Don't care. And why don't you go eat with your friends or something."

"Aw…" he pouted, "But then you'd be alone…"

"I'm fine with that."

"I'll sit with you…if you give me one."

I rolled my eyes and threw one up at the tree.

_Crunch!_

"So where were you during class?"

"In class."

"Don't you remember I have 4th period with you?"

"Yeah. I was in class. Just invisible."

"Were you with that little Rima girl."

"Could be."

"So are you going to walk home with me?"

"Wow. Nice change of subject."

"Thanks."

"Yeah, I guess."

"Great, see you later then, Amu~"

~After School~

I walked into the bathroom stall again and put on the sweater. I popped on the hood and went out. I looked around for Ikuto but didn't see him anywhere, so I decided to just walk home myself. _Home…I'm calling it home now!? _As I was exiting the gate, a familiar face popped out in front of me, saying "Boo." which scared me and caused me to back up a few steps.

I growled and followed Ikuto home. _So much for some peaceful quiet time… _

It was a silent walk…nothing to say really. But I prefer it that way. When we reached our destination, Ikuto unlocked the door and we walked in. I saw another person inside and I stiffened. _Who's that…?_ As I got a closer look, my jaw dropped to the ground to see Utau.

"UTAU!? Why are you here!?"

Utau looked at me, "Oh. Hey, Amu. And why can't I live at my brother's house?"

I rolled my eyes and looked to Ikuto for an explanation.

"Utau has her own house but for some reason she doesn't like to live in it. So she often sleeps over at my house or the soccer boy's house."

"Oh…soccer boy…you mean Kukai?"

"Is that his name? Yeah, I guess."

I looked at Utau who was drinking a can of soda, "Hey where were you today?"

"What do you mean?"

"You weren't at school."

"I was auditioning for this thing. I couldn't miss a chance to become a singer."

Oh yeah, let me explain. Utau is the same age as me and we're in high school. She has an awesome voice and she wants to become a singer. So yeah.

"Nice! Did you pass?"

"Dunno yet."

"…"

"Did Tadase do anything to you?"

"…"

"Amu, don't give me the silent treatment."

"Can I have a can of soda?"

"Sure, it's in the fridge."

Ikuto crossed his arms. "Hey guys, this is _my _apartment. I'm _letting _you guys live here. Stop acting like the owner of the house."

I looked at him, "You're the one who invited me."

Utau looked at him, "I'm your sister! ~"

**Ikuto's POV:**

Okay, yeah I want Amu to live here but I never she had such a free spirit. 2. Utau's house is like so much better than mine. Why is she living here…? Sighs, now I'm the only male here.

**Did you guys llllllllllllike it? Hope so. Keep reading (once I update xD) Plz fav and follow and review! Thanks a lot!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Sorry this chapter took so long! I'm totally not sticking to my chapter-per-week thing. But I had trouble coming up with an idea. Anyways, I think the story'll get interesting from here :) And could you guys tell me if you think K+ is an appropriate rating? Or should I change it to T? Please R&R!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own SC!**

**Amu's POV:**

I laid on the couch thinking about…nothing in particular. Maybe things like…how my family was doing… I wasn't sure if I could even call them my family now… I wonder how Ami was doing… Did she miss me? Did she even know what actually happened? And also…why would Tadase-kun do such a thing? I thought he actually loved me…Well duh, he even told me everyday. Lier…. I don't feel right saying that…but how could I actually still have feelings for that guy!? _Agh! Me and my weird feelings! _I sat up and sighed. Yet again…

**Ikuto's POV:**

I was about to go to the kitchen to get ready for lunch when I saw Amu sit up abruptly. She seemed really stressed these days. Once in a while, when I peeked into her room (er…my room) at night, and the blanket was often on the floor, as well as the pillow and she often seemed to be rolling around. I personally am surprised she never falls off but, eh. Now let me tell you, you don't know how much I want to walk in to comfort her. To whisper soothing words in her ear or maybe even play a pretty piece on the violin. I do sometimes, but I don't want her to feel like I'm gonna do some to her while she's sleeping. I stared at Amu again. She's so strong, I don't even know how she takes all that stuff in and is able to live on. I've been watching her from a distance (and no, I am not a stalker, I'm just…looking after her) and she goes through…well plainly said: A LOT. So now I'm glad I can actually help her. I mean, I have but…like I haven't really…whatever, I'm just confusing myself. I walked out and sat on the couch next to her.

"Hi."

Amu's POV:

"Are you with Saaya?"

"Huh?"

"Like dating and that stuff."

"…"

Now whoever's reading this, you better get this straight. I'm just _curious _about it, not that I'm _jealous _or anything. Two really different things you know?

Ikuto smirked, "You jealous?"

I felt my face heating up, "You wish!"

"No."

"Huh?"

"The answer to your question is NO"

"But wasn't she like…acting like you were her property?"

Ikuto snickered at the way I put it, "I probably broke up with her like 10 ten times already. But she just continues to follow me around."

"Like a puppy."

"Yeah and I'm the cat."

"In that case she'd be chasing you and pulling your fur out."

"She sorta is."

We both laughed at this remark. I stopped when I realized I haven't been able to laugh so care-free in a long time… Ikuto seemed to sense this and smirked.

"Which reminds me, don't you have to do your book report? It's due tomorrow you know."

My jaw dropped, and then closed. "Shoot."

The pillow I was holding was thrown up into the air as I ran into the room. Ikuto caught it and laid down, probably ready for his catnap. Wait, isn't it almost lunchtime…? I'm pretty sure it's his turn to cook…Glares…

~The next day~

I yawned. Sighs, school…the worst part of the day…I walked outside to see if Ikuto was sleeping on the couch. But it was…empty…Then I heard in window in the room creak. It was Ikuto! I raced in and gasped!

"Ikuto what's wrong!?"

He came into the room, looking like he was about to collapse any moment. As the sun shined on him, I noticed all the bruises and cuts on him. And…the trail of blood that was left by him.

"Ikuto! What happened!"

Seeing he didn't answer, and knowing he wouldn't, I ran to the bathroom to gather all the first-aid supplies I could find. I stopped when I heard I slam. The slam of a door slamming shut. I dropped the supplies and ran back to the room. I was correct, the door was closed. I slowly turned the knob to find it locked. I pounded on it.

"Ikuto! Open up! Ikuto!"

It wouldn't open. Looking at his condition, he probably couldn't leave the room…so…

"Ikuto! You're hurt! Let me help you!"

Ikuto's POV:

Oh my gods…I feel like I'm about to die… I heard footsteps. No, Amu don't come in here! Too late.

"Ikuto what's wrong!?"

I didn't answer. I couldn't answer. I couldn't tell her.

"Ikuto! What happened!"

Silence. She ran out, Probably to get band-aids and that sorta stuff. I took that chance to limp to the door, slam it closed and lock it. I heard Amu run towards the room.

"Ikuto! Open up! Ikuto!"

"Ikuto! You're hurt! Let me help you!"

I stiffened at that. _Let me help you. _I think Amu somehow heard me stiffen, she doesn't have cat ears…

"Ikuto…you're always helping me…Let me into your life, let me help you. Why don't you ever let anyone help you? When you're helping everyone else."

She totally hit the bull's eye…

"You keep people away from your problems. You make them hate you. But why? You help us. So we want to return the favor. Please?"

I felt my eyes water a bit. Nothing good happened when people help me. So they shouldn't. But Amu…She's one person that I'd do anything to guarantee her safety. But I can't keep her out forever.

I walked to the door. And opened it. My memories flooded back to me. I kept them locked for so long now…the cap broke and it's all coming back. A teardrop slide down my cheek and dropped to the ground. _I haven't cried for so long. I thought I'd finally gotten over it… _I blinked the liquid away and looked at Amu in the eyes. Sorrowful, pained, yet gentle and calm. I sighed, "Come in, I'll tell you about me. About me, before you came into my life."

**Dun dun dun, cliff hanger-ish! But not really. Well not as bad that you can't sleep or anything. Since who knows when I'll update again (probably soon since I can't wait to write the next chappy!). I'm getting so many ideas now! :D I'll try to update faster now! Please R&R! xD**


	7. Chapter 7

**Yay! Chapter 7! I think I updated pretty fast :3 Anyways, I changed the rating to T because...I dunno. Just to be safe. So...enjoy! :D**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Shugo Chara!**

**Chapter 7**

_Recap:_

_I blinked the liquid away and looked at Amu in the eyes. Sorrowful, pained, yet gentle and calm. I sighed, "Come in, I'll tell you about me. About me, before you came into my life."_

_End of Recap_

Amu's POV:

I stepped into the room. I feel so…nervous. I've never seen Ikuto look so weak before, even when he was sick at my house. He's always the one comforting me. Which is why I want to repay the favor. But I feel…scared…Ikuto's always seemed mysterious. His violin pieces all sounded so beautiful yet sad. What was the true story behind all that? The true story of Ikuto's life.

Ikuto sat down on the bed. I sat down on a bean-bag chair and opened the first-aid box. Ikuto sighed.

"I'll tell you my story."

_Please do, Ikuto. I'll listen to every word. _

As much as I wanted to know, there was another thing.

I looked up from the supply box, "But before that…" I swallowed, "Where were you? The injuries?"

Ikuto looked up; his eyes were so hurt that I didn't want to push the question to him any further but…

"Amu…could I tell my story first...? Where I was would make a lot more sense after you hear that. But…please…don't judge me until you heard both…then you can do whatever you wish…"

I was confused…What did he mean? I just nodded and he began his story.

Ikuto's POV:

I don't know why I even thought of telling her. Once someone knows, it's like your whole life is…is filled with your problems _and _mine.

"But before that…" Amu swallowed, "Where were you? The injuries?"

I didn't know how to reply. She wouldn't like what I'm doing. But…I should probably tell my story first. I need her to listen to both. If I tell her my reason first…it may…make her get angry and leave…

"Amu…could I tell my story first...? Where I was would make a lot more sense after you hear that. But…please…don't judge me until you heard both…then you can do whatever you wish…"

She nodded. That's when I noticed my hands were practically soaking wet from sweat. This isn't like me. I'm cool and collected. That is, until the door to my past is opened.

"Okay so." I made a promise to myself that I'd probably break: _Don't cry during this story. You're protecting Amu. _"As you know, my father suddenly disappeared one day, right? But before that, our family was like any other normal family…" I swallowed, "But once he…disappeared…my mother was never the same. She never gave us the same loving smile. The old mom was gone. Utau and I…well…Anyways, after a while, it seemed our mom got over dad? That's what I thought. Mom accepted the fact he wasn't coming back and her smile returned. She began cooking for us and doing all the mom work like a normal mom again. Utau and I felt so happy. It's like we got one of our parents back. But after I while, we found out that she remarried a big companies director. Easter's director, Hoshina Kazuomi. We were told that it was because our family wasn't able to continue paying what needed to be paid with only my mom working as a piano teacher. And our mom was only going to be nice to use because she was sorry that we would have to work for Easter to collect X-eggs and destroy people's dreams. But was awful for me and Utau. We both had strong musical dreams for our future. We knew how important a dream was to each and every person. Yet we had to destroy them. Eventually, we were let go for some reason. We felt joy. Something we haven't felt in so long…" My voice cracked, "But we didn't know that our mom was actually taking over for us. Easter found out her songs were actually more powerful and mine and Utau's powers combined. However…" I had to force myself to keep going and not lose myself in memory lane. "However…our mom…she…died…We don't know exactly how it happened. But we're pretty sure that it was while she was riding a helicopter to her next performing destination, the X-eggs lost control and the helicopter crashed." I felt something wet slip down my cheek as Amu gasped and looked down at her feet. "We never really mourned for her that much. We felt like she destroyed our lives. She decided our fate. But…" The tears were falling rapidly now. "But…A few weeks after her death. We found out…She actually married Hoshina Kazuomi because she thought he would be a nicer, more stable father for us. So we'd feel better. But when she found out he wasn't what he seemed to be, it was already too late. She couldn't back out. Or else Utau and I would be killed. She actually told the Easter people she'd replace us. They didn't decide. She did. She knew how bad we felt destroying it. But since she knew it had to be done…she did it…instead. Even though the whole thing is pretty much Easter's fault…me and Utau feel responsible…our mother did all that for us…And we actually hated her…" I covered my eyes with my hands to avoid showing all the tears, threatening to fall. "I thought after her death though, Easter could stay away from our lives. But no. They told us we had to finish the work our mother didn't finish. They didn't care about her death. Not at all." I smiled weakly at Amu, "I decided to look for my father because…I thought my mother would really like it. But I failed. But I'll keep going. For our mom." I was surprised to hear Amu start crying.

"Amu…"

"Sorry…"

"It's just…so sad…"

"…"

"But Ikuto…why do you blame yourself? Do you see Utau doing that?"

"She was younger than me. She didn't have much of an idea of everything. So she just followed what her onii-chan was doing. I should have thought about it more clearly. I should have known our mom wouldn't be so cold-hearted."

"Do you feel better?"

"For what?"

"After letting it out to me."

I looked up to Amu. She was smiling at me, and before I knew it, she stood up and hugged me.

**Yay! Er...R&R! Hope you guys liked it!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hi guys! Chapter 8 is pretty exciting! (To me, that is.) I hope you guys like it! I guess this story isn't too romancy but...eh.** **Enjoy! R&R!**

**Chapter 8**

Recap:

_"Do you feel better?"_

_"For what?"_

_"After letting it out to me."_

_I looked up to Amu. She was smiling at me, and before I knew it, she stood up and hugged me._

Ikuto's POV:

1. I just told my most secretive story. 2. Amu just hugged me. _H-U-G-G-E-D. _I always thought Amu wouldn't do stuff like that to me. Eh…she probably just felt bad for me. Pity…no, it didn't feel like pity. She didn't say stuff like, "I feel so bad for you." Or "You must have felt awful!". I hate it when people say that, it makes the whole situation worse. But for Amu…it felt like she was actually here to help me let out my sorrow.

"Amu…"

"You don't have to keep your feelings bottled up. There are people willing to listen to you."

She backed away and smiled. I felt the tears building up until it couldn't take it, and fell. I covered my eyes with my hands as I let out all the tears that were building up inside me for all their years. Nothing felt better than that.

Amu's POV:

I watched as Ikuto began to cry. I've never seen him so weak. But I guess everyone tries to hold everything in for as long as they can…but at one point, they just have a breakdown and every just comes out. To be honest, I had tons of those breakdowns the first few days of living with Ikuto.

As Ikuto wiped his eyes of all tears, he looked at me and smiled. Not smirked. Smiled.

"Thanks, Amu."

_So even Ikuto has his sweet side. _

He smirked, "But I never thought you'd hug me."

I blushed bright red, "Well…i-it was just…" I looked at his shirt, "Ah! Your shirt! Yeah, your shirt! See! It says 'Free Hugs'! And it was free…so why not…"

I cleared my throat. "Now, care to tell me where you got those?" I pointed to his injuries I just finished treating. Ikuto shuffled his feet, looking nervous. That just made me more curious.

"Listen…Amu…I'll tell you…I'd understand if you get angry…but you getting angry would just show why you're so nice."

He smiled as I repeated that sentence over and over in my mind.

"Okay. So…" he took a deep breath, "These injuries. You could say its Easter's fault. Which I guess it is. But it's not direct as if _they _hurt me or anything. They've been working me really hard these days. Sometimes if I refuse them or disobey their orders, they whip me. But that's just in extreme cases. However…there are lots of extreme cases…X-Eggs can do quite a lot of damage too, you know?" he laughed half-heartedly.

"Why?" I asked. "Why are they working you so hard _now. _Does it have something to do with me? It's starting around the same time I started staying here."

"No, no. Amu, it's not like that. They don't know you're here. It's…" he gulped then took a deep breath, "I was told to capture you, find you, or lure you into their hands. They knew I'm pretty close to you so you'd trust me. But I couldn't do that…So I just pretended I couldn't find you."

I clenched my fists and looked down.

"Easter got upset after a few weeks of no results. They started getting rash and doing violent things…"

I looked away, "You don't have to do this. At this point, I'm fine with just turning the Humpty Lock in. You don't have to keep getting hurt because of me. It's stupid, really."

"But Amu…" he swallowed, "The Humpty Lock wouldn't _work _without you. It's _yours. _So they…need you too. And if I could somehow lure you to them, they could do whatever they pleased."

"So let them!"

"Amu…I'm letting you stay here because I want to protect you…There'd be no point in me getting hurt if you'd just do that. Plus…I don't want you too…"

"I appreciate it. Really. I appreciate everything." I spoke in a quiet voice, "But…my life is getting worse because of this. Your life is getting worse because of this. If my life is gonna be awful from now on anyways, I mind as well let you be able to live your life fine. Besides, I'm sure they said something like if you turned me in, you could be released from Easter or something like that."

"I wouldn't be able to live my life in peace if I know you're caught by Easter. I'd live in guilt forever."

"It's better than your current condition. And…I don't want you…getting…hurt…because I…"

I looked down, ashamed.

Ikuto's POV:

I thought she'd explode with anger because of what I'm doing. But she didn't. She's actually taking this in calmly. While I'm like…scared…It's like we switched personalities. I was about to keep arguing against her when I heard the window in the kitchen shatter. We both forgot about the topic and I ran out to see what was happening, with Amu following closely behind.

Easter.

There were like 7 extremely strong looking Easter guys there. And one. Was right in front of me. Before I could react, he had his arm around my neck, able to strangle me any second. Amu came out and gasped. I heard several men near the window coming this way.

"Amu! RUN!" I yelled.

Someone hit my back hard. Like really hard. I had the wind knocked out of me. The guy dropped me onto the ground and I fell unconscious. The last thing I heard was Amu's scream.

**Dun dun dun! It's getting exciting! Hoped you guys liked it! I'll update ASAP! **


	9. Chapter 9

**Eek! I'm so excited about this chapter~ Hope you guys enjoy it!~**

**Chapter 9**

_Recap:_

_"Amu! RUN!" I yelled._

_Someone hit my back hard. Like really hard. I had the wind knocked out of me. The guy dropped me onto the ground and I fell unconscious. The last thing I heard was Amu's scream._

Amu's POV:

I opened my eyes. _Where am I…? _ The back of my head hurt a lot. I was probably tossed in here. I looked around…Ew…There's spiders crawling around everywhere…I hate spiders. So…I'm in a dungeon…Ah! I remember! Ikuto was telling me…stuff…(I'd prefer we not talk about that now…) Ah hem, then the window shattered…Ikuto ran out…I followed…Easter people were there…they caught Ikuto…they knocked him unconscious after he told me to run…I screamed…and now I'm here.

"Ikuto…?" I whispered.

No answer. No. If he isn't here…Easter people may be with him…But they know the one they wanted to capture (me) was living with him…and he was suppose to catch me…_Oh my gosh, no. If he got those injuries from just not finding me. Then I can't imagine now… _I took a deep breath. There could be a possibility he was just put in a different cell right? Let's see.

"IKUTO!"

There was silence for a while.

"Amu…?"

I gasped. "Ikuto! Where are you!?"

"Um…according to your voice, it seems like you're on the cell on the right of mine."

"Whew. That was close."

"Hm?"

"Nothing. Do you know how we can get out?"

"No. Chances are that they'll take me out first and punish me first, and then they'll take you out to try to get you to cooperate for them. Probably something like they'll do something bad to me if you don't."

Dude, how is he talking so calmly? I mean, we could be facing extreme stuff in a few minutes and he's just there talking calmly. I don't know how you do it, Ikuto.

"Er…Ikuto? You know we could be facing our deaths soon?"

"If you think of it that way, I guess we could."

I mentally facepalmed. Hm, maybe I should have physically facepalmed. Then Ikuto would hear the _smack _sound and realize his stupid words.

"But I got a plan." Ikuto said.

"And that is?"

"Well, since it's most likely a guard coming to fetch me, because it's not like the director himself is brave enough to come down here. Anyways, the strong guards all have a set of keys to the cells. And I have a feeling a strong guard will come for us considering we're "important" to them. Then I'd somehow take the key and toss it to you secretly."

I thought it over. _It might work…but…\_

"But Ikuto, that'd mean sacrificing yourself…And another thing, don't you think guards could be listening in?"

"Well…Easter thinks they have some super high-tech cells or something, so no one really comes down here unless taking in or out a prisoner. And it's not like they'd kill me. Worse case scenario I get some injuries and tossed back into this cell. But they know they'll need me to bait you into cooperating. So no deaths."

"Don't you think you have enough injuries? And if they keep you in the cell, how will you get out?"

"I'm a cat, Amu. Cats are ninjas in disguise."

I had to chuckle at that statement. _I guess I have to just trust Ikuto here…_

"Okay-"

I was cut off by the sound of footsteps. _They're coming. _As the footsteps got closer, I noticed there were a lot, meaning lots of men coming in. I listened as Ikuto's cell was unlocked and one guard said, "Director wants to see you." I heard Ikuto's quiet and soft footsteps echo through the nearby cells.

I waited. _Can Ikuto actually get the key?_

Ikuto's POV:

I stepped out quietly and softly, unlike those guys who sounded like elephants. The men surrounded both my sides. I glanced at one man's belt. _There!_ I gently opened hoop connecting it to his belt and then put my hands behind me. I side-glanced at the cell, and tossed it through an open spot, hoping Amu would catch it. No _cling-clang _sound told me she did.

When we were out of the basement, the guard I stole the key from whispered in my ear, "We may believe we have high-tech cells and never come down here unless taking in or out a prisoner. But you don't know _when _we'll come down." The blood in my body turned cold. If he heard that…he must have heard the whole plan Amu and I made…

The other guard snickered, "Do you really think it's that easy to take something from our belts without us noticing?"

"Amu…what are you gonna do you her!?"

"Hm…" the guard smiled, "I think she should be opening the cell around now. So just listen okay? I'm sure you'll hear the results."

I heard the faint sound of the cell opening, then…No…NO! I heard the sound of shot, then Amu's scream. But before long, the scream turned in a whisper and there was a sound. A sound of Amu falling to the ground.

**Noooooooooo! Cliffy!~ Hee hee. I'll try to update ASAP, 'kay? R&R! **

**P.S: Do you guys think my chapters are too short?**


	10. Chapter 10

**Yay! Chapter 10 is here! Sorry to make you guys wait, but I updated faster this time :P Anyways, I'll stop talking now, R&R!**

**Chapter 10**

_Recap:_

_"Amu…what are you gonna do you her!?"_

_"Hm…" the guard smiled, "I think she should be opening the cell around now. So just listen okay? I'm sure you'll hear the results."_

_I heard the faint sound of the cell opening, then…No…NO! I heard the sound of shot, then Amu's scream. But before long, the scream turned in a whisper and there was a sound. A sound of Amu falling to the ground._

Ikuto's POV:

No…Amu…no…

"AMU!"

The guards held me back as I tried to get back into the basement. This can't be happening. Why? No. This did not just happen. I'm just in a horrible nightmare. I just need to find a way out…I stopped struggling. No. This is real. It happened. It's reality.

"Now," the guard said, "Let's take you to the director."

I didn't move my feet.

"You don't know. Maybe the girl is still alive. But who knows what the director'll do to her if you don't obey him."

I stiffened. I shouldn't get my hopes up. But there may be a chance she's alive. That shot might have just hurt it. Or maybe it wasn't meant to kill. But I should still do what they say, just to be safe.

I started walking as they told me to. But this didn't make sense. If they killed Amu, how would the Humpty Lock work? In fact, what happens once it's owner is…d-dead…?

We walked into the director's office. He was staring out of the window, seeming quite pleased with himself.

He turned around, "Ah…Ikuto. Nice to see you again."

I didn't reply.

He smiled, "Now then, I know it was sad we had to kill that little girl but we had to."

_No, you didn't._

The director continued, "But now that she's dead, we'll need _you_ to help us work the Humpty Lock. After all, you're the owner of the Dumpty Key."

I stiffened. So this was their plan. "No."

The director made a face, "But Ikuto, who knows what _they_ may do to the girl's family if you don't cooperate."

"Quit threatening me." _Even if her family kicked her out and hates her…Amu would still protect them…_ I clenched my fists.

"Well then, what's your answer?"

I didn't know what to say. It seemed like picking between the end of the world or the deaths of a few people. Any normal person would pick the second option, but it's harder when you know who those few people are.

I gulped, "I pick-"

The door burst open; "Hold it." said a familiar voice.

Amu's POV:

I caught the key as Ikuto threw it in. _Thanks, I'll make sure to get you out too. _I reached my hand outside, feeling around for the keyhole. When I finally found it, I stuck the key in the turned it. I opened the cell and gasped as tons of Easter people formed a wall. I backed up into the back of the cell as they got closer.

"Stay away…" I whispered.

This one guy pointed a gun at me. I saw him look to another guy, who gave a small nod. He aimed at me, and fired.

As the bullet hit, I let out an ear-piercing scream as I fell to the ground. However when I fell, it didn't seem like I was giving in to death. More like, sleep.

~Later~

I opened my eyes to find myself in yet another cell. Wait, I think it's the same one. No…I'm against a wall…And my hands are in cuffs attached to the wall. Whoa wait. What. Just. Happened. _Ah! They must have shot me with those sleep things. _I looked around, the cell was decently big. I heard some whispers.

"She's up."

"Then use it."

"Are you sure? It's not like she can escape."

"We were told she's feisty. So just hurry it up will you?"

"Okay, okay."

I turned my head to the corner of the cell. There sat two people. They were wearing dark clothing that sort of blended with the walls, but it looked like they were putting masks on. One of them came over with a bottle of…something… The person (I'm pretty sure that he's a male) took off the cap and out came some weird looking colored gas. I remembered what Ikuto said, _"The Humpty Lock wouldn't work without you. It's yours. So they…need you too."_ That means that they wouldn't kill me. I held my breath. _This is not gonna get me far, I mind as well just inhale some anyways, it's now or never. _As lungs begged for air I opened my mouth and sucked some in. Immediately, I felt dizzy, my eye lids began to droop as I struggled to remain conscious. Fail. I slowly went unconscious…after I heard the door open. More like knocked down. And there standing, I could dimly see a familiar figure. Luckily, with a mask on.

Ikuto's POV:

I looked in awe at the figure. _Thank god. _On their back (you know, let's call the person at the door 'Cat' for now. Until I'm sure who it is.) Now, _Cat _had someone on her back. And it looked like…an unconscious AMU! Oh my god. There didn't seem like there's blood anywhere. And it _looked _like she was still breathing. I was about to run to her and hug her when the guards held me back. 'Cat' looked calm as they stepped out. I'm sure now, it's Utau. She's probably gonna ask for something in exchange after this. But she's Amu's friend! Why am I even thinking of this? Anyways, Utau stepped forward and gently laid Amu down on the ground.

"She's alive, Ikuto. Calm down, little kitty." She smiled.

I smiled back and mouthed a 'thank you'.

She nodded and turned to the director. "Now," she took out her cell phone, "I can call the police right now and you can't threaten anyone. We have the upper hand now. So I'll be nice and let you pick. Let us all go and shut down the company or we'll call."

When did Utau become so demanding?

The director glared and growled, "I am your father!"

Utau shrugged and dialed the police number in. "No you aren't. You're my _step_-father. Got that?" She rose up her phone, "Once I press 'call' the police will come."

The director smirked, "Okay then. Call. I'll let you guys escape. They can arrest us. Like I care. We still have one little loyal minion with us. And _he _will make sure you guys won't get away."

The guards let me go, I ran to Amu. "Amu! Amu!" She was breathing, thank god.

Utau glared, "Well who's that?"

There was a knock on the door. Hm. I didn't even know there was a door there. The knob turned, "Excuse me, Director Hoshina?"

"Come in, come in."

I knew that voice anywhere.

"Come in, Tadase."

The princely blond stepped in. He nearly dropped his clipboard when he saw me, Utau and an unconscious Amu.

**Cliffy? I guess not really compared to the previous chapter. But yay! Amu's alive! And Utau's here! Hope you guys liked it. It's longer than more, in my opinion. Please review, favorite or follow if you guys liked it!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11! Yay, I'm updating faster now! Maybe because this story is getting so exciting. :D I'll stop talking now. Please enjoy the chapter! R&R!**

**Chapter 11**

Ikuto's POV:

"What the heck are you doing here, Tadase!?" I yelled.

He glared at me, "What are _you _doing here?"

Utau stepped between us, "It's not like we _want _to be here. Easter captured those two."

Tadase seemed to believe us. He turned to the director and whispered loudly, "You said you would hurt her."

The director replied, "We didn't hurt her. Just put her to sleep."

_Actually…he has a point._

Tadase grew frustrated, "Whatever!" he turned to us, "Look, just get out of here and take care of Amu, okay?"

Utau and I looked back and forth from each other to Tadase. I picked Amu up bridal style and walked out the door. _Well, we're being let go. So…We should go. But still…why?_

~At Ikuto's House~

I laid Amu down on the couch. Then looked at Utau.

"Okay." I said slowly, "I'm confused…but first of all, how did you know we were…where we were?"

"Mm…well…I was talking to the director with Sanjo-san. They want to record a new song. It's annoying. We already have two songs to use for their evil needs. Anyways…"

_Flashback: (this might be long so I'm just gonna do normal font)_

Utau's POV:

I gazed out the window as Sanjo-san talked to the director about my new song. Suddenly, I heard a scream. I didn't hear it well, but I heard it. The voice sounded familiar, and it was from the basement. I glanced at the adults, they continued talking. _I guess only I heard that…_

"Excuse me." I said. "I need to use the restroom." I bowed down and left the room before they could disagree if they wanted to.

I walked towards where the cells were. I haven't been there before but I remember it being mentioned when I first came to Easter. I walked a little faster. _If something bad happened to the person…the guards are probably taking them out right now so I better hurry…_

When I got there, I slowly opened the door. I opened it wider. I was there just in time to see the door on the opposite side slam shut. _That's probably the guards who took the person out. _I tiptoed through the prison, not daring to look at the prisoners. I opened the door that they walked out of and saw two guards carrying an unconscious…AMU! I began to get worried. Why was Amu here Was she caught? If she's here then is Ikuto here too? My questions would have to wait.

The guards brought her to a room. I saw them throw Amu in and – Yes, _throw_ – and called someone in there. There were probably people guarding the room in there. After they walked away, I ran to the door and pressed my ear on the door. I heard something like:

"Then use it."

"Are you sure? It's not like she can escape."

"We were told she's feisty. So just hurry it up will you?"

"Okay, okay."

_Use what? _I took a peek inside to see Amu, barely awake, chained to the wall. There were two other people in there. They were both wearing masks…let me think…if I connect all the dots…it would lead to…them putting some bomb with sleepy gas thing. _I have to get her out of there…_I gasped quietly. I saw a box of masks on the right of me. I reached my hand over and grabbed one, then closed the door quietly. Geez, those people on guard are really bad guards. I put the mask on. _I think I'll make my entrance really dramatic… _I slammed the door open, causing Amu to lift up her head and little and the two guys to jump. I walked up to them.

"I am Hoshina Utau. I was told by the director to come retrieve the girl you guys are guarding named Hinamori Amu."

The two people looked at each other. One looked at me and said, "I'm sorry, miss. We were never told anything about this."

I rolled my eyes, "Did you guys know you were gonna get a prisoner?"

They whispered to each other for a while. Then handed me a key. "This is to unlock her cuffs."

I gave them my thanks and went to free Amu. I somehow was about to carry her all the way to the director's office.

_End of Flashback._

Ikuto's POV:

"Okay…Utau…Interesting story…"

She laughed. I looked to Amu, she was still unconscious, but breathing steadily.

I sighed, "I wonder when she'll wake up…"

Utau grinned, "I get you may be concerned that your _princess _hasn't awakened yet but we must let her rest."

_Geez Utau, I never knew you also had the voice of a narrator._

I smirked, "Well if she's the princess then wouldn't I be Prince Charming?"

Utau slapped me on the shoulder, "The day you become Prince Charming, pigs might fly."

We both laughed at that statement, lightening the mood. But one question still remained, what was Tadase doing at Easter?

**Yay...Utau's dramatic story! Heh heh. Well anyways. I'll try to update soon! Check out my one-shots if you're bored :D R&R!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Hello! Sorry, a little late on updating this week :P Blame school. School. Sighs. Anyways, I'll just stop talking. You'd probably like that. Enjoy! R&R!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Shugo Chara! (Sorry! I forget to put disclaimers sometimes..._)**

**Chapter 12**

Amu's POV:

I squinted. Everytime I wake up from being knocked out, the light blinds me. I looked around after I regained my sight; I was at Ikuto's place. Something big must have happened. I mean, we were just at Easter right? I looked around again, what was Ikuto?

"Ikuto…?"

He suddenly appeared before me.

"Finally awake, huh."

"Er..yeah."

"Morning, Amu!"

I looked to see Utau smiling at me. Wow, when'd she get here?

Ikuto rolled his eyes, "Its noon, Utau."

Utau rolled her eyes, "It's morning to her 'cause she just woke up."

The battle between siblings. Fierce and sarcastic.

"So um…" I looked between them, "How'd I get here?"

**(A/N: You probably don't want to know the story again so…time skip!)**

I registered everything. This…that…WHAT?!

"Whoa…Tadase's evil? I mean, yeah I knew he was evil but his evil was more like just evilly trying to ruin my life, I never thought that it was an actual evil like working for Easter." (Wow, never say that extremely fast, 'kay? It's tiring.)

Ikuto shrugged, "I dunno, he seemed sort of confused to see you unconscious. But who knows."

"Will he still come to school?"

Utau stepped into the conversation, "Well, if we're talking about Tadase, I'm thinking he'd stay home one day, then come back trying to avoid us. But if he does see us, he'd pretend to be all innocent with his princely charm so everyone else would blame us."

Ikuto snorted, "What are you, his sister?"

And that was how Ikuto earned himself a punch, let's continue, shall we?

After some awkward silence, Ikuto asked me where I kept the Humpty Lock. I felt a bit nervous answering that. I mean, Ikuto's been mega nice to me but he's still from Easter. I don't know if I'm scared of him telling, or what would happen to him because he knew but wasn't telling. Utau decided to pick choice one so the conversation went like this:

Utau: Dude, you're still an Easter guy, nice or not.

Ikuto: I let her stay here! I got hurt because of her!

Me: (flinch)

Utau: Don't you blame her!

Ikuto: I'm sorry, Amu…I wasn't trying to…It's just this _someone _just doesn't let me live easily. To think you use to chase me around with your brother complex!

Utau: I found out you're not such a good guy.

Ikuto: Sweet. Now why don't you go to Kukai's place and stop annoying me.

Utau: (blush) Idiot! But maybe I will…you're wasting my time… So bye! I'll see you soon, Amu.

Me: Bye.

As the door slammed shut, Ikuto and I were left alone. It was awkward. Reeeeeeeally awkward.

"Look Ikuto…" I started, "I'm just not really comfortable with revealing the location…"

Ikuto coughed dramatically, signaling the end of this conversation.

Suddenly, my phone vibrated.

"A text message…?"

I looked at my phone. It was a group call. Rima, Nagihiko and Yaya. I answered it.

"Hello…?"

"Hi, Amu." That was probably Rima.

"Hello, Amu-chan." Nagihiko.

"Hi, Amu-chi!" Definitely Yaya.

"Hi. So what's with the group call…?"

Silence.

Naghiko coughed, "It's sort of complicated. We'll take turns talking but Amu-chan, please wait till we're finished…"

_If you have to tell me that, this thing is probably gonna make me super angry._

"…I'll try."

"Nya."

I glared at Ikuto.

I could almost imagine their expressions right now.

"Amu-chan, is Tsukiyomi-san there?"

I told Rima I was staying with him; I guess she didn't tell them. I think I'll just keep quiet then.

"Er…yeah! He just suddenly came to my balcony! Now…go on…with your story…"

"Right away!"

Rima: Right, so…Nagihiko, go first."

Nagihiko: Eh? Rima-chan, we agreed you would go first.

Rima: Fine. I'll tell Amu _that,_ if you don't go first.

Nagihiko: You'd really tell her?

Rima: Hey, Amu, Nagihiko's actually Na-

Nagihiko: Okay! So we were saying, we're…gonna quit the guardians.

Me: _Don't shout, don't shout. WHY!?_

Yaya: Good job, Amu-chi! Keep quiet! We decided to quit because…well, why should we keep doing it? She should follow Tadase's orders after we know what he did to you.

Rima: Besides, now that you're gone, it feels like Tadase actually acts like an extremely bossy "king".

Nagihiko: Right. We'll still keep hunting for X Eggs but we won't follow Tadase's orders anymore.

Silence.

Rima: Amu. Talk.

Me: Whattheheckwouldyouquittheguardiansfor?!

Yaya: Er…we just told you…

Me: But the other part of the Guardians is to protect the students.

Nagihiko: We can do that by ourselves whenever we see a kid in need.

Me: Don't you know it'll cause tons of commotion!? If only Tadase's left, then the Guardians will probably collapse!

Rima: It will.

…

Me: And your reputation will probably go down too!

Rima: Do we look like we care? No.

Me: Well…Okay, I give up. Arguing with Rima is like…a guaranteed lost.

Yaya: 'Kay! That's all! Bye-bye!

Call ended.

I looked at Ikuto, "I swear, they were probably sweating and freaked out like crazy when they told me that. They must have even practiced for it to be so perfect."

Ikuto chuckled.

"And you probably weren't suppose to listen.

"But…I suddenly came to your balcony!"

Punch two of the day. Location: Stomach. Puncher: Amu. The poor poor victim: Ikuto.

**Hm...I should think of something dramatic again...Please review, favorite or follow! Thanks a bunch!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Sorry this Chapter sorta sucks and it's a bit short. But um...Happy Early Halloween! Yay, candy! :):):) Sorry for the late update. House of Hades came out and I've been doing crazy reading xD Okay, calm...This is a Shugo Chara fanfiction. Okay, well, ENJOY! :D**

**Chapter 13**

Amu's POV:

I walked to school with _my _(I know, I know, it's Ikuto's. But I guess he gave it to me) sweatshirt. I walked with Ikuto to school everyday. There were still little gossips around us but…it was pretty much over. I kept my head down the whole time; I guess people still are wondering about the identity of the "hooded person". I kept walking until Ikuto put his hand out, blocking my way. I looked at him and he nodded toward the school gate with distaste. I raised by head to see two Easter baddies looking at us with smug faces, as if saying _We've got you now. _Then I realized there was something between them. A bomb. When I looked back at the baddies, they were gone. I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself down and figure everything out.

_What the heck…?_

My vision got blurry and my legs got wobbly. I could hear Ikuto mutter, "Poison gas, run…Amu…run…back h…home…" I coughed a little. I looked in the front, back, and sides, students were all falling to the ground. _Help…! _I held my breath, trying to ignore the poison I already inhaled.

"AMU RUN!"

Guilt. I was always being protected. Everyone put me in front of themselves. Why?

"AMU GO!"

I felt a push. I tried to go back to Ikuto but before I knew it, the Easter baddies (wow, suddenly like…20 appeared…) formed a baddie wall between us.

"AMU, JUST GO!"

I held my breath. I can't help my cowardice, I'm just like this. I can't change myself. I guess I'll always need someone to protect. And from there, I ran without another thought.

Rima's POV:

Dude, why? Me, Nagi, Yaya, and Tadase were all told that there was poison gas at the school gates. I mean, I was worried but why us? We already (well, except for Tadase) told the principal we quit being Guardians. So, why? We're done with the superhero business.

I walked out of the school building with Nagi and Yaya. Who knows and cares where Tadase went? He's just an annoying jerk. I was snapped out of my get-angry-at-Tadase-thoughts when Nagi gasped and ran up to the gates. Tons of students lay there unconscious as well as one we all knew, Ikuto. If he was here, wouldn't Amu be here? I searched around for pink hair, but no. I knocked Nagi out of the way and shook Ikuto like crazy.

"Where's Amu!?"

After a while of shaking and nothing happening, we all made eye contact and agreed this was Easter's doing. I mean, why else wouldn't Tadase be here? Didn't he just _crave _attention?

~A Little Later~

School ended early today because of the incident. I heard tons of parents were calling in saying that the school wasn't safe. Eh. Their problem. Anyways, Yaya and I went to Nagi's house. We decided to call our smartest friend Kairi for help to investigate Tadase. Kairi use to be a Guardian, but he moved away a while ago. We haven't contacted him for a while but I bet he'll still help us out.

We dialed his number and waited.

"Hello?"

"Kairi!"

"Salutations, everyone. How have you been?

"…Great."

"Do you need anything?"

"Well…"

They began explaining the whole thing (or so they heard from Amu, who knows, she probably left some things out just to keep us from worrying)…blah blah blah.

"Well…Actually, he is heading to the Joker's…I mean Tsukiyomi-san's house right now."

"Great thanks Kairi!"

Nagihiko was about to hang up when I took over, "Wait Kairi, how do you know?"

"…"

"Kairi…what have you been doing…?"

"…Fine. I put this tracker thingy on Tadase so I know wherever he goes. To make sure…nothing happens to the Joker…"

"Stalker."

"Wh-"

I hung up, feeling satisfied with myself. Nagihiko just shook his head hopelessly while Yaya giggled.

"Well, off to Ikuto's!" Yaya shouted, awfully happy about this.

Amu's POV:

I mentally slapped myself, what the heck is WRONG with me? I was going on like a heroine saying I was always being protected and I was tired of it but then when the moment came, I still ran. Geez. I laid on the couch, what now? I didn't know whether I should just stay here, or go back. It felt like I _should _go back. Who knew what happened to Ikuto. Besides, I guess I _was _a little wanting to see my Guardian friends.

I stepped up, and walked to the door. I put my hand on the knob (Okay, I'm sort of freaking out that Easter people would be there, but what are the chances. If they wanted to, they could have just busted the window one more time.) I turned it and backed away immediately (precaution, 'kay?). I guess it was a good choice. Because standing there wasn't the Easter people, but Tadase (wouldn't he be considered part of Easter now?)

**The credit for chapter idea goes to Harmonic Bunny! :D Yay. Please recommend some ideas for the story, I'm pretty stumped. Thanks! R&R!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Okay, no author's note. I'll go straight to the story :) Enjoy, R&R!**

**Chapter 14**

_Recap:_

_I turned it and backed away immediately (precaution, 'kay?). I guess it was a good choice. Because standing there wasn't the Easter people, but Tadase (wouldn't he be considered part of Easter now?)_

_End of Recap_

Amu's POV:

"The heck…?" I stood there, dumbfounded.

Tadase decided to take that as a 'Welcome!' and let himself in. I snapped out of my trance and caught up to him.

"Hey, you! This isn't your house! Get out!"

He looked at me and raised one eyebrow, "Hey, you. This isn't your house either. Get out."

_He got me there. _"Well, at least I have _permission _to be here."

"Hm…" he tapped his chin thoughtfully, "True…"

He sat down on the couch, "It's a pretty nice place for that thieving cat…"

"GET OUT!"

He sighed pitifully as he raised his hands in surrender, "Okay, I'll leave. I guess you don't want to know why I'm working for Easter."

I shut the door, ignoring the little part of my mind screaming that this was a trap.

I settled down at the opposite side of the couch. "Well?"

Tadase gave me a smug look, how much he changed over the years…

"Well, then. Why? Because….because…I guess it's because of you. The moment you stepped in, everyone's love and respect towards me, were all taken away and given to you. I felt some love and respect towards you too, I do admit. You had that…that power to help everyone around you…not just your power of the Humpty Lock and 3 charas…"

I got bored. This is pretty much what Rima told me. "And…?"

"And well. At one point, I guess my hate grew pretty strong. I dunno what it is with Easter but they can sense negative stuff or something. So they sensed me and invited me over to the company. I would get my ranking back, and also, it'd benefit them too because you'd be going down."

I clenched my fists, "Well what about after? What would happen after you guys gained the Humpty Lock? Would you just go back to everyone and apologize? Would you think all peace would be restored?"

Tadase shrugged, "Yeah."

I stood up, "Well if that's how you think, then…too bad!" I pointed to the door.

He held his hands in surrender again, "I'm leaving. At least I told you the reason. Oh and, don't you tell Easter any other this. It'll be better for both of us." He walked to the door and went out.

_He thinks he's all nice now because he told me something supposedly helpful._

"Hi-yah!" _What?_

I'm about the go outside to see what's happening when a tied up Tadase is thrown into the house followed by Rima, Nagihiko, and Yaya.

"Fear not, Amu-chi! Tadase was about to go into Ikuto's house and capture you again! But we managed to arrive and stop him before it happened!"

I mentally facepalmed. Nice, Yaya.

"I appreciate it. But he already came over and was about to leave."

…

…

…

A huge argument starts between the three of them about who attacked Tadase first.

"CALM!" I shouted.

They stopped. I sighed and beckoned them all in, "Bring Tadase too, but don't untie him. But take the duck tape off his mouth."

_Where did they get rope and duck tape anyways?_

A loud scream filled the air as the duck tape came off. Ouch.

Ikuto's POV:

I woke up, rubbing my head because of a headache. I remembered how there was poisonous gas around the gate of the school. _I hope Amu made it home safe. _

I walked around until I found a teacher.

"I feel fine now, so I'll be leaving."

"Okay! Take care!"

I walked out of the school building. Walk, walk, walk. I held my breath as I passed the school gate, just precaution.

Walk

Walk

Walk

As I got closer to my house, I saw a little blob of dust near the door. I shrugged, _Probably just my headache._

Then, after a while, a loud scream fills the air and I'm pretty sure it was from my house. I ran, hoping Amu was safe.

Amu's POV:

"So." I sat down. "Why don't we explain-"

"Yes, Amu, why don't we explain why so many people are in my house?"

Shoot. I slowly turn my head towards the door. Dang it.

"Hi…Ikuto…?"

**Dun dun dun, Ikuto's back! Hope you guys liked the chappie, bye!**


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